Funding for study or work abroad

Some courses at QMUL include a year abroad, either to study or work. The financial support you can receive will depend on what you do during the academic year.

You won’t be going abroad in your first year, but this information is included here to help you plan ahead if you will be studying abroad later in your course.

Erasmus scheme

The Erasmus scheme is funded by the European Commission, to promote the mobility of students throughout Europe through institutional partnerships. Erasmus allows students to participate in study placements, work placements, or combined work and study placements abroad. To study under the Erasmus scheme, the study needs to take place at an Erasmus partner institution, and your academic department at QMUL can advise you on this. Any work placement in Europe can come under the Erasmus scheme as long as it is for a minimum of three months.

Tuition fees

The tuition fee for 2016 onwards entrants who will be taking a full year of study and /or work abroad 2018/19 will be £1385. You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to pay for this, if you are normally eligible for one.

If you are going abroad for just part of an academic year, and you will be spending at least ten weeks at QMUL, you will be liable to pay the full annual tuition fee (£9000/£9250). You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to pay for this, if you are normally eligible for one.

Living costs support

If you study or do a work placement abroad you can get a Maintenance Loan subject to the usual income assessments. There is a special overseas rate of Maintenance Loan; in 2018/19 the maximum amount is £9,963 if you started your course on or after 1 August 2016.

If you are studying abroad, once you have applied for Student Finance you should get sent a Course Abroad Form by SFE. Take this to the Student Enquiry Centre, ground floor Queens’ Building to be completed. The SEC will let you know when the form is ready to collect, and you will then need to send it back to SFE so they can process your application.

Providing you apply to SFE on time (by 22 June 2018), you will automatically receive your first Student Finance instalment 25 working days before the course start date. The second and third instalments of your Student Finance will be paid at the start of QMUL Semester 2 and the exam period.

QMUL can ask SFE to bring forward the first instalment of your Student Finance if you are required to travel abroad to start your study more than 25 working days before the start of the QMUL academic year. Also, in certain countries the academic year runs across two semesters rather than three, in which case QMUL can ask SFE to pay your second and third instalments together. In some countries (usually China, Japan & Russia) you may be required to show that you have the money to support yourself financially for the whole year before you are allowed into the country. In these instances, SFE will pay the full amount of Student Finance for the year on your first instalment date (unless requested otherwise). As only the university can make requests to SFE for special payment arrangements, please contact the Student Enquiry Centre if you need advice about this: email studentenquiry@qmul.ac.uk or call 020 7882 5005 or go to the ground floor of the Queens’ Building.

If you are working abroad, your Student Finance is normally paid at the start of each QMUL semester. If you need to travel abroad to start your work placement earlier than the start of the QMUL academic year, you could contact SFE to ask if they can discretionally pay your first instalment early. You would need to provide evidence of the start date of the work placement.

Erasmus grant

If you are studying or on a work placement you will normally be eligible for a non-income assessed Erasmus grant to help towards the extra costs of studying abroad. The grant amount varies from year to year. The British Council usually announces the new rates each summer. You do not need to be eligible for UK government student finance in order to qualify for the Erasmus grant. At QMUL, the Erasmus grant is administered by Wiebke Leugers, who you can contact by email at w.leugers@qmul.ac.uk

There is also an Erasmus webpage which lists the Erasmus co-ordinators for each academic department at QMUL.

Travel grant

If you are studying or working abroad you can apply for an income assessed grant from Student Finance England for reasonable travel costs (this means buying the most cost effective tickets for the most economical form of transport). You can be reimbursed for up to three return journeys from the UK to the overseas institution or workplace during a full academic year abroad. You cannot claim for the first £303 you spend. You may also be able to claim for the costs of visas, medical insurance, and a mandatory medical.

To apply, you need to complete the SFE Travel Abroad Expenses form, which SFE will automatically send you if you are eligible to apply. You will be asked to provide evidence to support your travel expenses claims, showing proof of payment and confirmation of what you purchased, for example an e-receipt for payment of flights.

You can apply for a Travel Grant at any time during the academic year, and you won’t have to wait until your next instalment of Student Finance to be paid the Travel Grant.

QMUL Bursary

If you meet the usual eligibility requirements for the QMUL Bursary (see next section of this guide), you will also be able to receive it during an Erasmus study or work placement, as long as you continue to be eligible for income assessed Student Finance.

Study or work abroad (non-Erasmus)

Tuition fees

The tuition fee for 2016 onwards entrants who will be taking a full year of study abroad from 2018/19 will be £1385. If you are on a work year abroad, or a split year of work and study, you will pay £1850, unless you are in the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film, in which case you will pay £1385. You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to pay for this, if you are normally eligible for one.

If you are going abroad for just part of an academic year, and you will be spending at least ten weeks at QMUL, you will be liable to pay the full annual tuition fee (£9000/£9250). You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to pay for this, if you are normally eligible for one.

Living costs support

If you are studying abroad but not at an Erasmus partner institution, you can get a Maintenance Loan, subject to the usual income assessments. There is a special overseas rate of Maintenance Loan; in 2018/19 the maximum amount is £9,963 if you started your course in 2016 onwards.

If you are studying abroad, once you have applied for Student Finance you should get sent a Course Abroad Form by SFE. Take this to the Student Enquiry Centre, ground floor Queens’ Building to be completed. The SEC will let you know when the form is ready to collect, and you will then need to send it back to SFE so they can process your application.

Providing you apply to SFE on time (by 22 June 2018), you will automatically receive your first Student Finance instalment 25 working days before the course start date. The second and third instalments of your Student Finance will be paid at the start of QMUL Semester 2 and the exam period.

QMUL can ask SFE to bring forward the first instalment of your Student Finance if you are required to travel abroad to start your study more than 25 working days before the start of the QMUL academic year. Also, in certain countries the academic year runs across two semesters rather than three, in which case QMUL can ask SFE to pay your second and third instalments together. In some countries (usually China, Japan & Russia) you may be required to show that you have the money to support yourself financially for the whole year before you are allowed into the country. In these instances, SFE will pay the full amount of Student Finance for the year on your first instalment date (unless requested otherwise). As only the university can make requests to SFE for special payment arrangements, please contact the Student Enquiry Centre if you need advice about this: email studentenquiry@qmul.ac.uk or call 020 7882 5079 or go to the ground floor of the Queens’ Building.

If you are working abroad, you can apply for a non-income assessed reduced rate Maintenance Loan. In 2018/19 the amount is £2,635. Your Student Finance is normally paid at the start of each QMUL semester. If you need to travel abroad to start your work placement earlier than the start of the QMUL academic year, you could contact SFE to ask if they can discretionally pay your first instalment early. You would need to provide evidence of the start date of the work placement.

Travel grant

If you are studying abroad you can apply for an income assessed travel grant from Student Finance England for reasonable travel costs incurred attending an overseas institution as part of the course. See above for information about the Travel Grant. If you are working abroad (non Erasmus), you cannot claim the Travel Grant.

QMUL Bursary

If you meet the usual eligibility requirements for the QMUL Bursary (see the section of this guide ‘Money from Queen Mary’), you will also be able to receive it during a study abroad placement, as long as you continue to be eligible for income assessed Student Finance. If you are doing a work placement abroad (non-Erasmus) you won’t be able to get the Queen Mary bursary, because you are not eligible for income assessed Student Finance.

EU+

If you receive UK government Student Finance on the basis of being an EEA worker, your eligibility for maintenance support will cease while you are on your study or work placement abroad. This is because you will lose your worker status when you stop working in the UK and therefore cannot qualify for Student Finance on that basis. However, if you are an EU national, you will still be able to get a tuition fee loan. To apply for this you will need to complete an EUPR1a paper application form which you can download from the gov.uk website.

When you come back from your study or work abroad, as long as you start working again, you will be able to apply for full Student Finance, including maintenance, for your next period of study. You will need to apply on a paper PN1 application form which you can download from the gov.uk website. This form is normally for new students, so you will need to include a covering letter explaining that you are a continuing student who got a tuition fee loan only last academic year, and who is now applying as an EEA worker for full Student Finance. You will find detailed information about how to prove your EEA worker status in the Eligibility section at the end of this guide. If you have any difficulties, contact a Welfare Adviser.

Disclaimer:Law, regulations and policies can change quickly. The information on our website is given in good faith and has been carefully checked but QMUL cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. QMUL is not responsible for the content or reliability of the linked websites which are provided for further information.